Don’t forget our quick 10-min functional groups quiz @ 8:00 am sharp on Fri (not Thurs)!

This week, we’ll finish up with what I refer to as “basic chemistry.” This week will see us talk about chemical bonds, the chemistry of water, and the concept of pH. After this week, we’ll spend the better part of two weeks on biochemistry where we will cover the molecules important for life (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids). Once that’s done, we’ve finished the first unit, and we’ll be a good 1/3 through the course.

In lab on Thursday, we’ll do the first part of a lab called Characterization of Enzyme Activity. This will be another two-week lab.

Important due dates for this week:

Thursday, 8 am – Prelab for this week’s lab is due. It can be found in Mastering Biology.

Friday, 10 pm - Your first true homework assignment (also in Mastering Biology) is due. It’s called How Science Works.

That’s it for now. Send any questions my way.

Please remember that the Prelab Activity for The Scientific Process (Part 2) is due by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday)!

Hello folks:

This week, we’ll do the following:

• Monday: Finish up Introduction to Biology and start Connections Through Evolution
• Wednesday: Hopefully start Atomic Structure
• Thursday (lab): The Scientific Process (Part 2)
• Friday: Hopefully start Chemical Bonds

There are two things due this week:

• Your write-up from the Black Box activity from last week. Instructions can be found on the backside of your blue sheet from Thursday.
• You will also be doing a prelab activity for Thursday in Mastering Biology, so you need to get registered soon!

Folks:

In case you’ve found your way here early and want some info about the textbook for the class, here’s what you should know.

The book that we’ll be using this semester is Campbell & Reece’s BIOLOGY (8th edition). The Massasoit Bookstore sells new copies of the textbook for less than $80.00. The book is a customized (i.e., shortened) form of Campbell. It comes packaged with a free Student Access Kit for MasteringBiology, an online homework platform that we’ll use extensively throughout the semester. 

If you get the book used (either from the bookstore or a friend) and you don’t have your own Student Access Kit, you’ll have to buy it online separately. There are two versions of the Student Access Kit to choose from: a $130 version that comes with access to the eBook on the website and a $45 version that doesn’t include the eBook. (Either is fine for our purposes, but you’d want the eBook if you plan on taking Bio Principles II in the spring.) 

The Student Access Kit that you get for free with the <$80 book is the $130 version, so you’re getting a very good deal through the bookstore! 

If you have any questions about books, please drop me a line at massasoit.bio (at) mac.com and I’ll answer them to the best of my ability. Otherwise, I’ll see you on Sept 8.